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Ram 2500/3500 Trucks Increase Towing Capability

Ram Truck has increased the towing and payload capabilities of its 2500 and 3500 Heavy Duty pickups for 2016 through engine calibration, Ram has announced.

Ram engineers have tweaked the Cummins 6.7-liter inline-six so the 2500 can now tow up to 17,980 pounds and the 3500 can now two up to 31,210 pounds. The 2015 Ram 3500 was able to tow up to 30,000 pounds. The Ram 3500 payload capability increases to 7,390 pounds, while the Gross Combined Weight Rating increases to 39,100 pounds.

Ram Engineering and Cummins developed a new fuel delivery and turbo boost calibration for the Cummins 6.7-liter diesel that produces an additional 35 lb.-ft. of torque. This improvement raises the bar from Ram’s 865 lb.-ft. of torque to 900 lb.-ft. of torque.

The trucks will conform to the testing standards and specifications laid out in the SAE J2807 towing standard. Ram's entire pickup lineup now meets these standards, according to Ram.

The first Ram Heavy Duty trucks will roll off the assembly line in the third quarter.

Ford's president and chief executive of its Canadian market, Mark Buzzell, will return to the U.S. as the director of North American Fleet, Lease and Remarketing Operations starting Jan. 1, Ford has announced.

Bobit Business Media has been acquired by Gemspring Capital, a middle-market private equity firm. Bobit, which bought HDT in 2012, was founded by Ed Bobit in 1961 with Automotive Fleet and today is a successful business-to-business media company in the fleet, transportation, beauty, and law enforcement industries.

Bestpass has saved commercial fleets more than $100 million in toll-related savings, the toll management provider announced. Its clients range in size from independent owner-operators to mega-fleets with thousands of vehicles.

The procurement function of researching, negotiating contracts, and purchasing fleet vehicles must harmonize with the management of those assets, so the corporation can achieve the most efficient and best utilization of a fleet’s vehicle lifecycle.